Beverweert

English translation

The text above is the record as published by the Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed, in Dutch. The English below is a machine translation made by TreeAlive, not by the Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed; it has not been checked by a person. Where the two differ, the original is the record. Report a translation error: privacy@treealive.com

Description

Description component 1: MAIN BUILDING CASTLE BEVERWEERT.

Exterior of castle

Northwest facade

Between the two tall towers six window bays with plastered surrounds of windows and doors; here three storeys above ground level; this facade is not entirely constructed in large brick, but in format decreasing from bottom to top; in the basement bulkhead windows in deeply set round-arch openings; on the first floor fenêtres à terre with two quatrefoils at the bottom and in the fanlights; the doors open onto the balcony with cast-iron railings supported by five rectangular cast-iron columns on hard stone plinths; in the balcony railings the coat of arms of the Van Zuylen family; on the second floor likewise fenêtres à terre with wrought-iron railings; doors and windows on the first and second floors are framed in a plastered border with ears; plastered string course under third storey; above the windows of this storey six relieving arches in brick and natural stone from earlier windows; above these plastered crenellations; the gabled roof is covered with clay tiles.

TOWERS: The four-storey high square towers have plastered corner chains above ground level; the roof covering of the towers is a pyramidal roof laid with slate and surrounded by plastered crenellations, beneath which a round-arch frieze, and likewise corner turrets; on the points weathervanes with the coat of arms of Van Zuylen; the string courses and window surrounds of the towers are also plastered; the surrounds of the first and second floors are straight at the top, the surround on the third floor has the pointed-arch form; to the left and right thereof always on all sides a blocked oculus in plastered surround; for the fenêtres à terre of the bel-étage small balconies with as support two natural stone beavers, and some ornamentation in the form of pearls (?); each balcony has cast-iron railings with the coat of arms of the Dutch lion and the coat of arms of the Van Heeckeren van Enghuizen family at the front and coats of arms of the Van Zuylen family at the sides; below the right balcony yet another window.

Front facade southwest side

Left (west) the tall tower with corner chain, here in natural stone, as well as the moulding between the first and second storey; that between the following storeys is plastered; below a window with double quatrefoils, then follows a fenêtre à terre with railings and thereafter a pointed-arch window with railings; in the east facade of this tower likewise windows; a double curved staircase leads via a landing to the main entrance; the front facade has three bays, the middle one is set within a hard stone surround which is moulded and provided with a cornice. Above it a facade stone with the following text "MCC 1200 was ik reeds gesticht MDCCCXXXVI 1836 ben ik door H.J.C.J. Baron van Heeckeren heer van Enghuizen, Beverweert, Odijk enz. verbouwd"; above it a pointed-arch niche with bell; in the outer bays windows framed with plastering; on the bel-étage fenêtres à terre with double quatrefoils in the fanlight and at the bottom; on the floor 8-pane fenêtres à terre with railings; in the facade plane above the windows relieving arches (from earlier wall openings) in small red brick; entrance door in niche, recessed and executed in glass with double quatrefoil above; at the foot of the landing stairs two cast-iron lanterns on both sides; at the front of the wall below the landing wooden door to basement with quatrefoil below and grille for the glass in the upper panels; in the corners of this facade between the balusters on the landing and the tower (respectively projecting corner section) small windows with grille; in the projecting corner section below on the bel-étage fenêtre à terre with double quatrefoils at the top, on the floor 8-pane window with railings.

Southeast facade

This facade has six bays; counted from the left the first is "sighted", the second "blind" (after plastering of the facade blocked), the third and fourth bay are sighted, the fifth is blind (later blocked) except for the double basement window; the sixth bay is also blind; in the first bay a double basement window with grille, on the bel-étage a double fenêtre à terre with railings and quatrefoils (without horizontal glazing bars) and on the first floor with railings (and bars), and without quatrefoils; in the third bay in the basement a door with at the bottom a wooden quatrefoil and a grille for the glass at the top; the windows in the remaining sighted bays the same as those in the first bay.

Northeast facade

This facade is still entirely plastered, as well as the tower section on that side; the west facade has six bays; the fourth bay from the left is blind, the others are sighted, the tower is likewise blind, except for the upper part with window.

Interior of castle

In the interior amongst others:

Hall: neo-Renaissance coffered stucco ceiling with culs-de-lampe, four bays from south to north and three bays from east to west; the doors have a neogothic pointed-arch surround; the three doors to the landing for the southwest facade have wooden side panels with colonettes on the inside; above the doors to the great salon on the northwest side and the room on the east side coats of arms of Van Zuylen (three silver columns in blue) and the Van Heeckeren van Enghuizen family; in the back wall of the hall centre an arch-shaped niche with scallop motif at the top, above the niche a crowned coat of arms with the Dutch lion with beside it cherubs and garlands; in the doors to the small salon on the northwest side and former small room on the northeast side (now toilet facilities) cast-iron framework with at the top wooden trefoils and spirals; above the doors the crowned coat of arms of Van Zuylen; the floor consists of old wide wooden boards.

Room on the east side: marble pointed-arch niche for the fireplace, windows provided with shutters, high quality stucco ceiling.

Corner room in south tower: stucco ceiling second half 19th century, therein cross-ribbed vault with rosettes in the fields; door surround moulded and provided with foliage; overdoor with the letters I and J; specially laid parquet floor with large rosette in the centre.

Great salon on the northwest side: stucco ceiling divided into three bays; parquet floor bears in the centre an oval medallion containing a crowned coat of arms with an eagle and a lion as supporters; the coat of arms is filled with lions in various colours and sizes.

Small salon on the northwest side: square stucco ceiling.

Small room on the north side: stucco ceiling with female heads in the centre and volutes towards the corners.

West of this room an old bathroom with glass fanlight above partition wall.

Large room on the north side: shallow neo-Renaissance coffered ceiling; fireplace with coupled marble pilasters; along the deep window niches wooden colonettes with gilt and red-painted crowns; framed stucco work tableaux of female heads amidst tendrils and foliage on both sides of the chimney; on the west wall with putti bearing symbols of the hunt, respectively of fishing; on the wooden shutters colonettes and quatrefoils.

Cellar: many modifications made due to the use; an old kitchen with fireplace remains on the north side; a late nineteenth-century wine cellar is still present with masonry sections in yellow brick for wine bottles; some sections of the cellar possess trough vaults, otherwise much heavy masonry.

Staircase: from the hall a late 19th-century staircase leads to the first floor; the substantial wooden stair newel is crowned with a shield-bearing lion that bears the coat of arms of Van Zuylen; turned cast-iron balusters in neo-Renaissance style support the wooden handrails; the ceiling in the stair hall is a stucco ceiling in neo-Renaissance style.

On the first floor rooms are situated on the east and south side provided with a fireplace with grey marble pilasters; the corner room on the south/west side is in possession of stucoed medallions with female heads; this room may possibly be the so-called King's Room, the room where Prince William III (the later king-stadtholder) stayed, one of the many times he visited Beverweert; above the windows and on the ceiling foliage; the small room on the north side has a fireplace with white marble pilasters; the large room on the north side has a similar fireplace.

In the towers spiral staircases from the second half of the 19th century, leading to the attics and rooms in the roof trusses behind the crenellations; the rectangular north tower has been converted by false walls into an octagon.

Valuation

The MAIN BUILDING CASTLE BEVERWEERT is of general cultural-historical importance:

- as a well-preserved example of a Utrecht Medieval castle converted in eclectic style for the mid-19th century;

- as a well-preserved example from the oeuvre of Utrecht architect Christiaan Kramm;

- as a rare and both internally and externally well-preserved example of eclectic Dutch castle architecture for the mid-19th century;

- because of its high ensemble value;

- because of its rarity value and age.